The present invention relates generally to machines and methods which assist in plant potting operations.
Horticultural growers have a need to periodically place growing plants (e.g., seedlings, shrubs, flowers, and the like) in pots of sufficient size so as to accommodate future growth. Once the potted plants have attained a desired size, therefore, they can be sold to retail nurseries, landscape companies or the like for transplanting to a permanent site.
Potting machines which assist the horticultural growers in placing their plants into soil-containing pots are well known. In this regard, most potting machines include a soil infeed conveyor which transfers potting soil from a soil supply to a soil lift conveyer which elevates the soil over and into pots travelling along a closed-loop pot track. Recently, potting machines have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,008 (the entire content of which is expressly incorporated hereinto by reference, and referred to hereinafter as xe2x80x9cthe ""008 patentxe2x80x9d) which includes coordinated indexing and soil drilling systems. The indexing system serves to sequentially continually advance the plant pots along the potting path so that each pot on the track is brought into a momentary stationary indexed relationship with a reciprocally moveable drill assembly associated with the soil drilling assembly. During such momentary stationary indexed relationship, therefore, the drilling assembly serves to drill a generally centrally located recess in the soil contained within the pot to facilitate the placement of a plant therein.
While the potting machines and methods disclosed in the ""008 patent are entirely satisfactory for relatively small pot sizes (e.g., 5-gallon pots or less), problems tend to arise when relatively large pot sizes (e.g., between about 10-gallon to about 25-gallon pots) are handled.
Specifically, the larger pot sizes necessarily require a greater volume of soil and require a recess that is proportionally larger and deeper as compared to the smaller pot sizes (i.e., since proportionally larger root balls need to be planted in the larger pot sizes). As a result, the continual stopping/starting of the pot track as disclosed in the ""008 patent is not entirely satisfactory for larger pot sizes as soil in the pots has a greater tendency to shift due to its greater mass weight thereby collapsing the drilled recess before a plant can be placed therein.
It would therefore be highly desirable if plant potting machines and methods were provided which are especially adapted to the handling of relatively large pot sizes. It is towards fulfilling such a need that the present invention is directed.
Broadly, the present invention is directed to plant potting machines and methods having synchronized continuous motion pot track and soil drilling systems. In especially preferred forms, the present invention is embodied in potting machines and methods of forming a planting recess in soil contained within a pot by moving a soil-filled pot continuously along a linear segment of a pot track, and moving a drill bit continuously in synchronized registry with the soil-filled pot as the pot moves continuously along the linear segment of the pot track. More specifically, according to the present invention simultaneous horizontal and vertical motion components are imparted to a soil-drilling drill bit relative to the linear segment of the pot track, for example, by moving the drill bit in an arcuate (preferably circular) orbit above the pot track. Such simultaneous horizontal and vertical motion components cause the drill bit to track linearly in registry with the pot conveyed by the pot track along the linear segment thereof and to be moved vertically into and out of contact with soil contained within the pot to thereby drill the planting recess therein.
These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent after careful consideration is given to the following detailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments thereof.